“Yay for adventure”
You nailed it Captain Toad
So Captain Toad’s back in a puzzling adventure far grander than any his Super Mario 3D World
escapade.
And he’s brought his BFF, Toadette, along for the ride too.
And between them, you’ll have to explore more than 70- puzzle-filled levels, while
collecting treasure along the way in the form of Power Stars, hidden gems, and other shiny
things.
But it’s the process of getting at those collectibles that makes the game feel so different.
And that’s largely because each level is built like an elaborate diorama.
I mean, most levels fit on a single-screen--but there’s a lot of depth to each one, and
you’ll have to look upon them from pretty much every angle imaginable to discover everything
they conceal, whether its hidden passageways, secret alcoves, or myriad collectible.
Really, the camera’s role in the game is just as important as Captain Toad’s, as
you’ll be moving it around and changing the angle constantly.
Now because Captain Toad can’t jump, getting to the end of each level can be a real head-scratcher.
Particularly when the puzzles involve elements like sliding entire sections of the world
around, rotating half of the level, or navigating a series of gates that raise and lower with
a push of a button.
And it’s how Captain Toad mixes these puzzle elements with the more conventional platforming-style
of Mario games that really lends the game its unique feel.
I mean, you’ll still have to dodge a ton of enemies after all, while carefully crossing
some seriously dangerous terrain.
Hell, there are even bosses to tackle.
For a puzzle game, it’s a rather lively experience.
And the amount of mileage the game’s creators get out of this concept is astonishing, as
nearly every one of the 70+ worlds look and feels entirely different from the next.
One moment you’ll be exploring some ancient ruins, while the next you’re riding a minecart
through a sparkling cavern
Captain Toad truly is a novel experience.
Never before has camera control been such an essential component in a Nintendo game.
But it’s perhaps that very thing that is also the game’s biggest problem.
And that’s simply the fact that the camera...well, it’s not perfect.
And one of those problems is pretty much an intrinsic part of the game design itself.
The fact that the levels are so deeply-layered and multi-faceted means that there often times
where your view is obstructed by some kind of object, whether it’s a wall, a platform,
or something else, making it a constant battle to get a clear view of Toad and his surroundings--and
this is made all the trickier when you have enemies hot on your tail.
I feel like this could have been mostly fixed by, say, allowing the camera to see through
the walls when you zoom in, revealing what’s going on immediately around Captain Toad.
And speaking of zooming in, I felt the camera was rarely ever at a comfortable distance
from the action.
It was either too far away, making me feel a bit detached from the action, or too close
to be useful when zoomed in.
It’s odd that you have full control over the rotation of the camera, but almost none
over its distance.
But perhaps the most balling thing about the camera are the motion-controls.
Besides, using the Right-Stick, you can also tilt the Gamepad to control the camera.
But I found this to be a worthless addition as it’s pretty much impossible to tilt the
Gamepad far enough while playing comfortably.
And unfortunately, there’s no way to turn this “feature” off, which means nearly
every tilt or shake of the GamePad is translated on the screen in the form of sporadic camera
movement.
Several of the levels also make use of the touchscreen in order to move some platforms
by tapping on them.
But I found this implementation rather jarring, forcing me to shift focus from the TV to the
Gamepad and back again, which can be a little disorienting and frankly annoying.
Sure, one could use the GamePad exclusively for these levels, but because of the aforementioned
camera issues, the action is a bit too distant to be comfortable.
I actually feel like the Wii Remote would have been a better option to play this game,
allowing you to interact with the platforms on the same screen with the pointer, rather
than requiring the redundant use of two separate screens that display the same thing.
Another control oddity is the fact that if you forget to hold the Run-button before picking
up an item, there’s no way to run afterward without throwing it--which is especially troublesome
in some enemy-filled areas
Now let me stress that none of these issues are that large of problems in and of themselves,
but when taken together, they did compromise my enjoyment of the game.
But rest-assured, there is a lot to enjoy, whether it’s the endlessly creative level
design, the cute visuals or just how darn charming the game is.
I really loved the flipping through Toad’s travelogue and seeing the occasional drawing
documenting their adventures.
It’s just too bad that the a few small issues interfere with what’s otherwise a very polished
and overall pleasant experience.
So all in all, I Liked Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.
It’s a charming experience that features creative levels nearly all the way through.
And I rather enjoyed unraveling the intricate design of each level, even in spite of the
camera issues I had.
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Treasure Tracker and other things gaming too.